Band of the Falcon
Band of the FalconWriting Miura at Skullknight.net. Retrieved on 2015-08-10. |manga debut= Golden Age (4) |anime debut= Band of the Hawk |status= Disbanded |affiliation= Midland |previous affiliation= |occupation= Mercenaries |image gallery= }} is a mercenary group founded by the "White Hawk" Griffith. Guts joined the Band during its early years, not long after they had started gaining fame in several pitched battles. The Hawks rose to prominence during Midland's One Hundred Year War against Tudor, and was integrated into Midland's regular army following Griffith's promotion to Count. They were instrumental in several battles, most prominently the taking of the Tudor-held Midland castle Doldrey. Overview Strength History Golden Age Arc Early Years The Band of the Hawk was originally a very meager, admittedly "ragtag" gathering of thieves who were drawn to the then-teen-aged genius swordsman Griffith. Its first principal members included the former coal miner Pippin, a gifted circus performer-turned soldier Judeau, and Corkus, who was once a leader of his own gang of thieves. After they rescue Casca from her attempted rape, they became more and more distinguished in the battlefield and in a matter of years they were renowned as the "grim reapers of the battlefield." Their valor was said to be such that a skirmish that would have lasted three days would not go under three months, and under Griffith's leadership their numbers grew to 500 by the time they happened to encounter the renegade mercenary Guts. Defeating Guts twice with his sword's grace and ingenious strategy, Griffith formally added him in as the captain of the band's raiders, a position he would continue to serve for over three years (by which time their numbers grew tenfold). Most notably, their success in the 100-year war against the Empire of Tudor, succeeding where much, much larger armies had failed in claiming victory for Midland, allowed their commanders, the young Rickert included, peerage in the nobility, and Griffith elevated to the White Phoenix General. This did not last, however, as while Griffith's insidious plot allowed him to eliminate all of his political enemies at once (the queen included), his first (and instantaneous) defeat at Guts' hands, as well as his immediate defection, caused him to sink to depression and sneak into the princess's chambers to sleep with her. Rescuing Griffith Their leader now imprisoned, and their numbers dropped to less than a fifth in a year, the Hawks were on the verge of wipe out despite the near-equally capable Casca's attempt at keeping the band alive. Only when Guts returned upon hearing the terrible news was the band's morale restored, but this too did not last as by the time they rescued Griffith, he had been robbed of his ability to speak, stand or even hold a sword during his imprisonment in the Tower of Rebirth. To make matters worse, the criminal band whose military prowess almost equaled theirs, came after them once all other attempts at eliminating Griffith came to naught. They managed to repel the forces and their captain Guts pulled off a last-minute win against their enemies' leader, the apostle Wyald, but with Griffith now more of a disgrace than a distinguished, proud commander it became nothing to celebrate. Eclipse Wyald was now killed, but the worst was yet to come, and when the desperate, now inscrutably tormented Griffith summoned the God Hand and instigated the Eclipse, almost all the Hawks were killed, and the only two survivors of this bloodbath, Casca and Guts, too were beyond saving. Raped in front of Guts by the reborn Griffith (now the final God Hand member Femto) after having all of her comrades killed, Casca's mind regressed to that of an infant's and Guts, who lost his arm and eye to the Apostles as he tried to thwart his former friend, left in search of revenge and declared a solitary war. Rickert, too, had survived as he was away from the Hawks at the time from an arm injury he sustained earlier, but Guts did not tell him what fate had befallen their lifelong friends and he, too was left behind beside the amnesiac Casca. Members #Griffith: Leader of the Band of the Hawk #Guts: Raiders Commander #Casca: Unit Commander #Judeau † #Pippin † #Corkus † #Rickert #Gaston: † Raiders Executive Officer #Dillos † #Dante † #Errol † #Riguel † #Sam † #Nikol † #Kim † Gallery Trivia *All members of the Band of the Hawk were wiped out, with the exception of Guts, Casca, Rickert, and Griffith during the Eclipse, when Griffith sacrificed them to become Femto, the fifth God Hand. References Category:Groups